West Contra Costa Literacy Coalition

The Issue

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The end of 3rd Grade Marks the point when children transition from learning to read to reading to learn. Children who read by the end of 3rd Grade are more likely to graduate from high school and be college ready. Yet every year, more than 80 percent of low-income children face barriers to meeting this crucial milestone.

Low-income children are also more likely to miss out on high quality early learning experiences.

The six hour, 180-day school year is insufficient to educate many students in urban public schools. The Coalition recognizes that academic achievement is a year-round activity and embraces Out of School Time Learning to include after-school and summer learning programs with a focus on increasing literacy skills.

The West Contra Costa Literacy Coalition is a collective impact project with parent leaders, educators, librarians, service providers, businesses, and WCCUSD, taking an equity approach to ensure all children in West Contra Costa read at grade level by third grade. We accomplish this through sub-grants and Action Teams: Out of School Time, Early Learning, and Parent Engagement.

The Coalition was established by the Richmond Community Foundation (RCF) in 2015, in partnership with key stakeholders and with funding support from the Hellman Foundation and the California Endowment.

[Photo: Parents pick up free books for their children at the WCC Literacy Coalition’s Attendance Convening on February 5, 2016. Books were provided by West County Reads and Nothing But the Truth Publishing]

In West Contra Costa (WCC) County, an average of 26% of third graders are on track in ELA SBAC Assessment test scores. This means that an average of 1 in 4 third graders is reading on grade level. In some elementary schools in Richmond, only 5% of third graders are reading on grade level.